Witness of faith and love...

“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.” - St Francis of Assisi

St. Francis Xavier often spent whole hours during the day and into the night before Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, Who gave Him the grace and the strength to lead so many souls to Christ. His devotion to Our Eucharistic Lord was so great that Fr. Stefano Manelli, O.F.M. writes in his book, Jesus, Our Eucharistic Lord:  

"What shall we say of St. Francis Xavier who at times when distributing Holy Communion felt so carried away by a sense of adoration toward Our Lord Who was in his hands, that he got on his knees and in that position continued giving Holy Communion? Did that not present a witness of faith and love worthy of heaven?"

St. Francis Xavier

Spain ~ 1506-1552

One of seven founders of Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Considered "greatest missionary since the time of the Apostles"

Incredible zeal, baptized thousands, miracle worker

Patron of mission fields

Known as the "Apostle of the Far East"

Incorrupt

FEAST DAY - December 3

"St Francis Xavier sailed the seas ... To spread the word of God ... Among the unenlightened souls ... On strange and distant sod ... From Spain and Portugal he went ... To heathen Hindustan ... To Travancore and to Ceylon ... Malacca and Japan .. He preached the gospel fervently ... And thousands were baptized ... And though his task was perilous ... He never compromised ... He hoped to teach in China too ... But when he reached that shore ... His strength was ebbed by fever, and ... He could go on no more ... And there in 1552 ... St. Francis passed away ... And many are the miracles  ... Ascribed to him today." 

- James J Metcalfe, Poem Portraits of the Saints (1956) 

Click here: St. Francis Xavier - YouTube (2 mins - Apostleship of Prayer)

Click here: Life of Saint Francis Xavier - YouTube (4 mins)

Click here: The Miracles of St Francis Xavier - YouTube (11 mins)
Click here: St Francis Xavier, A Fiery Apostle

In a letter he wrote from the mission fields in India,

he described the amount of people he Baptized in vivid language:

"As to the numbers who become Christians, you may understand them

from this, that it often happens to me to be hardly able to use my hands

from the fatigue of baptizing:  often in a single day I have baptized

whole villages.  Sometimes I have lost my voice and strength

altogether with repeating again and again the Credo and other forms."

St Francis Xavier, pray for us!